\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA Engineers Simulate Lunar Lighting for Artemis III Moon Landing\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ceb-1407.jpg?w=1536\")
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nBetter understanding the lunar lighting environment will help NASA prepare astronauts for the harsh environment Artemis III Moonwalkers will experience on their mission. NASA\u2019s Artemis III<\/a> mission will build on earlier test flights and add new capabilities with the human landing system and advanced spacesuits to send the first astronauts to explore the lunar South Pole and prepare humanity to go to Mars.<\/p>\nUsing high-intensity lighting and low-fidelity mock-ups of a lunar lander, lunar surface, and lunar rocks, NASA engineers are simulating the Moon\u2019s environment at the Flat Floor Facility to study and experience the extreme lighting condition. The facility is located at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ceb-1407.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nNASA engineers inside the Flat Floor Facility at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, mimic lander inspection and assessment tasks future Artemis astronauts may do during Artemis III. Lights are positioned at a low angle to replicate the strong shadows that are cast across the lunar South Pole. <\/div>\nNASA\/Charles Beason<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe goal is really to understand how shadows will affect lander visual inspection and assessment efforts throughout a future crewed mission,\u201d said Emma Jaynes, test engineer at the facility. \u201cBecause the Flat Floor Facility is similar to an inverted air hockey table, NASA and our industry partners can rearrange large, heavy structures with ease \u2013 and inspect the shadows\u2019 effects from multiple angles, helping to ensure mission success and astronaut safety for Artemis III.\u201d<\/p>\n
Data and analysis from testing at NASA are improving models Artemis astronauts will use in preparation for lander and surface operations on the Moon during Artemis III. The testing also is helping cross-agency teams evaluate various tools astronauts may use.<\/p>\n
The 86-foot-long by 44-foot-wide facility at NASA is one of the largest, flattest, and most stable air-bearing floors in the world, allowing objects to move across the floor without friction on a cushion of air.<\/p>\n
Test teams use large, 12-kilowatt and 6-kilowatt lights to replicate the low-angle, high contrast conditions of the lunar South Pole. Large swaths of fabric are placed on top of the epoxy floor to imitate the reflective properties of lunar regolith. All the mock-ups are placed on air bearings, allowing engineers to easily move and situate structures on the floor.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ceb-1497.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nThe Flat Floor Facility is an air-bearing floor, providing full-scale simulation capabilities for lunar surface systems by simulating zero gravity in two dimensions. Wearing low-fidelity materials, test engineers can understand how the extreme lighting of the Moon\u2019s South Pole could affect surface operations during Artemis III. <\/div>\nNASA\/Charles Beason<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThe Sun is at a permanent low angle at the South Pole of the Moon, meaning astronauts will experience high contrasts between the lit and shadowed regions,\u201d Jaynes said. \u201cThe color white can become blinding in direct sunlight, while the shadows behind a rock could stretch for feet and ones behind a lander could extend for miles.\u201d<\/p>\n
The laboratory is large enough for people to walk around and experience this phenomenon with the naked eye, adding insight to what NASA calls \u2018human in-the-loop testing.<\/p>\n
NASA is working with SpaceX to develop the company\u2019s Starship Human Landing System<\/a> to safely send Artemis astronauts to the Moon\u2019s surface and back to lunar orbit for Artemis III.<\/p>\nThrough the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars \u2013 for the benefit of all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For more information about Artemis missions, visit:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/artemis<\/a><\/p>\nNews Media Contact<\/h2>\n
Corinne Beckinger<\/em>\u00a0
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.<\/em>\u00a0
256.544.0034\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0
corinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov<\/em>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nBetter understanding the lunar lighting environment will help NASA prepare astronauts for the harsh environment Artemis III Moonwalkers will experience on their mission. NASA\u2019s Artemis III<\/a> mission will build on earlier test flights and add new capabilities with the human landing system and advanced spacesuits to send the first astronauts to explore the lunar South Pole and prepare humanity to go to Mars.<\/p>\n Using high-intensity lighting and low-fidelity mock-ups of a lunar lander, lunar surface, and lunar rocks, NASA engineers are simulating the Moon\u2019s environment at the Flat Floor Facility to study and experience the extreme lighting condition. The facility is located at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal is really to understand how shadows will affect lander visual inspection and assessment efforts throughout a future crewed mission,\u201d said Emma Jaynes, test engineer at the facility. \u201cBecause the Flat Floor Facility is similar to an inverted air hockey table, NASA and our industry partners can rearrange large, heavy structures with ease \u2013 and inspect the shadows\u2019 effects from multiple angles, helping to ensure mission success and astronaut safety for Artemis III.\u201d<\/p>\n Data and analysis from testing at NASA are improving models Artemis astronauts will use in preparation for lander and surface operations on the Moon during Artemis III. The testing also is helping cross-agency teams evaluate various tools astronauts may use.<\/p>\n The 86-foot-long by 44-foot-wide facility at NASA is one of the largest, flattest, and most stable air-bearing floors in the world, allowing objects to move across the floor without friction on a cushion of air.<\/p>\n Test teams use large, 12-kilowatt and 6-kilowatt lights to replicate the low-angle, high contrast conditions of the lunar South Pole. Large swaths of fabric are placed on top of the epoxy floor to imitate the reflective properties of lunar regolith. All the mock-ups are placed on air bearings, allowing engineers to easily move and situate structures on the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sun is at a permanent low angle at the South Pole of the Moon, meaning astronauts will experience high contrasts between the lit and shadowed regions,\u201d Jaynes said. \u201cThe color white can become blinding in direct sunlight, while the shadows behind a rock could stretch for feet and ones behind a lander could extend for miles.\u201d<\/p>\n The laboratory is large enough for people to walk around and experience this phenomenon with the naked eye, adding insight to what NASA calls \u2018human in-the-loop testing.<\/p>\n NASA is working with SpaceX to develop the company\u2019s Starship Human Landing System<\/a> to safely send Artemis astronauts to the Moon\u2019s surface and back to lunar orbit for Artemis III.<\/p>\n Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars \u2013 for the benefit of all.\u00a0<\/p>\n For more information about Artemis missions, visit:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/artemis<\/a><\/p>\n Corinne Beckinger<\/em>\u00a0<\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure>News Media Contact<\/h2>\n
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.<\/em>\u00a0
256.544.0034\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0
corinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov<\/em>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n